What If
by JonesIantoJones
Summary: Ianto ends up stuck in 1941 with Tosh instead of Jack, and meets the real Captain Jack Harkness. Dedicated to RhianaStar for giving me the idea. Please review x


**Dedicated to 'RhianaStar' who, in a rant about Doctor Who, posed the question of how would Ianto have interacted with the real Jack Harkness if he'd gone back to 1941 with Tosh instead of Jack? I hope this story provides an answer for you.**

**This story has been demanding to be written for a couple of weeks now, and I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Please review x**

"What's going to happen to us?" Ianto asked as he sat at a recently vacated table on the periphery of the dance floor as the girl on stage sung and Tosh settled onto the chair opposite him still clutching her laptop bag to her chest. After what should have been a routine call out about music coming from an abandoned music hall he and Tosh had found themselves trapped in middle of the Second World War.

"Jack will get us back." She said with her attempt to sound confident masked by her fear. "We just need to blend in till then." She pointed out.

Ianto nodded. "I'll go get us some drinks." He said rising to his feet and making his way to the bar. "Two brandies thanks." He said with a small smile for the bar man who set about pouring out the measures of amber liquid into two glasses. It was only when he was asked for money that Ianto realised he didn't have any, at least any that would be accepted in 1941. "Oh… I…" He stuttered as he patted down his suit jacket as he tried to think.

"I'll get these." A deep American voice sounded beside him, and he looked up at the man who was stood there. Wearing a military uniform with the traditional markings of a Captain, the man was just over six feet tall with short dark brown hair and brown eyes.

"Thank you." Ianto said with a brief bob of the head.

The Captain smiled. "No problem. Military man?" He asked casting a glance of Ianto's ever-immaculate suit.

"No, I'm secret service. Code breakers. That sort of thing. Ianto Jones." Ianto proffered his hand, which the Captain took and shook firmly.

"Local too from the sounds of it." The Captain smiled. "Captain Jack Harkness, 133rd Squadron." He introduced himself, and it took all of Ianto's self control to not gasp.

"Pleased to meet you." He said as calmly as he could muster. "I should… get this drink back to my colleague. Thank you again." He added letting go of Jack's hand and picking the two glasses up from the bar. With a final smile for the Captain he scurried back to the table and sat down, handing Tosh her drink before downing his own and taking a calming breath.

"Ianto? Are you okay? Who was that man?" Tosh asked concerned.

Ianto took another breath and swallowed before speaking. "Captain Jack Harkness." He breathed.

"What?" Tosh gasped.

"The real Captain Jack Harkness." Ianto tried to clarify. "Jack's name isn't really Jack. His life is complicated Tosh, more complicated than even I understand, but he took the name of that man over there many years ago." He said.

"But why?" Tosh asked. "Why him?"

"Convenience." Ianto replied as his gaze drifted to the man at the bar who was chatting to fellow soldiers, but glancing occasionally at him.

"What do you mean?" Tosh asked looking from Ianto to the man in uniform at the bar.

"Because he dies." Ianto said simply.

Tosh's head snapped back to face him. "What?" She whispered. "When?"

Ianto swallowed roughly as he checked the date on the poster that hung on the wall of dance hall advertising that evening's event. "Tomorrow." He croaked.

Tosh's eyes widened. "I don't understand. How do you know that?" She asked.

"Jack told me. Our Jack." Ianto said a fond smile for his lover. "There are things about him… about Torchwood… things he deals with alone… that he shouldn't have to." He began. "Tomorrow morning that Jack will go out on a routine training run, and he and his men will be surprised by two formations of Messerschmitt. They'll shoot them down, they'll win the battle, but his plane will be hit. His men will hear him whoop with joy over the radio as the Messerschmitt fall out of the sky, but they won't realise that their Captain's plane is on fire, that he can't bail out. They will all make it home safe. Except him." Ianto spoke softly as tears filled his blue eyes and he found his gaze being drawn over to Captain Jack once more.

"Can't we do something? Help him?" Tosh asked as her own eyes welled with tears.

Ianto shook his head, his eyes never leaving the Captain. "You can't mess with time Tosh. He has to go out there and he has to die for Jack to take his name. He'll just be another fatality. Another man who never makes its home during war." He mused sombrely.

"The team will find us Ianto. They'll get us home. Back to our Jack. To your Jack." She reached her hand across the table and took Ianto's, squeezing it gently and bringing his attention back to her.

He sighed. "He's not mine Tosh. He never will be." He said.

"Ianto…" She began softly, but stopped as another person appeared by their table.

"Mind if I join you?" Captain Jack asked.

Ianto shook his head. "Go ahead." He said gesturing to an empty chair.

"Captain Jack Harkness." He said extending his hand to Tosh.

"Toshiko Sato." She said shaking his hand and smiling gently. "Is there anyone here that's good with co-ordinates?" She asked.

He smiled. "The gentleman at the bar – Danny – he'll be able to help you out. But don't work too hard. It would be a shame to waste the night." He said as she stood up and wandered off, leaving Ianto alone with the Captain.

"Can I get you another drink?" Jack asked acknowledging Ianto's empty glass.

"Just a water would be great." He said before Jack stood up and went to the bar. Ianto took the opportunity to take a few more calming breaths.

"You okay? You look a little pale." Jack commented as he sat back down and placed Ianto's glass of water in front of him.

Ianto nodded. "I'm fine. Tired I guess. Long hours." He replied taking a sip of his water.

"Are you based here in Cardiff? I've never seen you at one of these before." Jack asked before drinking from his brandy.

Ianto nodded. "Our base is near the Bay. We don't usually spend much time in this part of the city, but we fancied a change." He said, wondering if Jack's ability to make up plausible stories on the spot was rubbing off onto him.

As Jack opened his mouth to speak again a young blonde woman appeared at his side. "Hello Jack." She said in a soft Welsh accent.

"Nancy." Jack said in surprise.

"I know you're having a night with the boys, but I just popped in to see if you'd be around later?" She asked nervously, but also hopefully.

"I…" Jack swallowed hard as he glanced at Ianto who was studying his water intently. "I need to stay with my men tonight." He said, watching her face fall. "It's been a great few weeks. I'll be in touch next time I'm here." He said hoping to reassure her.

Nancy nodded quickly, her upset evident. "Okay. Well goodnight." She said quickly before scurrying off towards the door.

Jack sighed as he looked back at Ianto. "You should go with her." Ianto said softly. "You should make the most of every moment."

"You think?" Jack asked unsure.

Ianto nodded. "You never know what tomorrow may bring." He said vaguely as he sipped at his water again.

"A routine training exercise. My men don't need that. They need to get out there. Back into battle. Get this war won." He said as he downed the last of his drink. "Get it over with." He added.

Ianto heard the fear in Jack's voice even if his face disguised it. "It will be soon." He said gently.

"Not soon enough." Jack said getting to his feet and striding off up the staircase.

Ianto rose to his feet and, upon seeing that Tosh was safely talking to a couple of the men, jogged up the stairs after Jack, finding him sat on a bench on a deserted corridor. He sat down beside him.

"It's okay to be scared." Ianto said softly, hoping to comfort the other man despite having no first hand experience of war, only what Jack had told him.

"I'm the Captain. I killed 27 men during the Battle of Britain. I shouldn't be scared. I shouldn't be." Jack said berating himself.

Ianto placed his hand on Jack's arm. "Everybody is scared Jack. You wouldn't be human if you weren't. You have every right to be scared."

Jack looked down at Ianto's hand before locking eyes with the Welshman. "Are you scared?" He asked.

"Yes." Ianto whispered as he noticed his heart was beating faster.

Jack brought the hand from his free arm over and placed it nervously on top of Ianto's, brushing his thumb across the back of it. "I…" He began. "I want to make the most of every moment." He murmured, echoing Ianto's words from earlier as his eyes stayed fixed on the Welshman's.

"I won't be able to stay." Ianto whispered.

Jack nodded. "It's okay." He said simply.

Ianto smiled a little, but his smile faded as the sound of the air raid siren rang out. "I need to find Toshiko." He said jumping to his feet.

Jack nodded. "This way." He said running back along the corridor and down the stairs where the caretaker was ushering people down to the shelter.

"Toshiko?" Ianto called as Jack went to round up his men.

"I'm here." Tosh said breathlessly as she ran in from outside. "I've hidden the equation the team need to use to get us back. I just hope they find it in time." She said.

Ianto nodded. "Come on. Lets go." He said guiding her towards the steps that went down into the shelter. Once inside he took her over to the far side and made sure she was comfy on a pile of abandoned crates. Looking back over to the entrance he saw Jack walk in with some of his men. Ianto smiled over at him and Jack smiled stiffly back before going to talk to his men. Dejectedly Ianto sat down beside Tosh and wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"Are you okay Ianto?" She asked.

He nodded. "I just wish I could help. I wish I could help him." He commented.

Tosh looked over at the Captain who was chatting with his men but kept throwing glances Ianto's way, a look of confusion and loss on his face.

"Like you said, we can't. No matter how much we want to." Tosh said smiling reassuringly at Ianto.

The Welshman nodded. "I know." He murmured as he leant back on the wall behind him and closed his eyes. He sat like that, lost in his own thoughts but with one hand on Tosh at all times, as the sounds of the siren wailed, and the singer from upstairs continued in her attempts to distract them. Common sense told Ianto he should have been thinking about the Jack Harkness who would be working hard in the Hub to bring the missing members of his team home. However the only person on Ianto's mind at that point was the Jack Harkness stood on the other side of the basement. He had no idea how long they'd been there when the sirens faded and the caretaker announced that the dancing could continue. Relieved cheers sounded and Ianto opened his eyes to see the soldiers lead their girls' back upstairs. Rising to his feet he took Tosh's hand and made his way to the stairs, forming a small smile for Jack who was stood at the foot of the stairway with his men. Walking past Ianto climbed the staircase with Tosh and went back to the dance hall, where the bar tender was dispensing free drinks to the patrons to calm nerves after the air raid. Instructing Tosh to get a table he went over and claimed two of the drinks before rejoining his friend. He tried to ignore the sight of Jack entering the room and placing himself on the opposite side to Ianto, cradling a drink in his hand, a forlorn look on his face as he leant back on the wall. He also tried to ignore the feeling of Jack's eyes on him, but he knew it was happening.

"He's coming over." Tosh whispered.

"What?" Ianto murmured looking across at her before feeling a strong hand being slipped into his own, tugging him wordlessly to his feet and onto the dance floor. Jack took Ianto in his arms and the two men swayed to the music as the strains of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square" seeped around the room. Ianto placed one arm around Jack's waist holding him close as he held tight to his hand, resting his cheek against Jack's as he allowed himself to get lost in the moment. As they moved Ianto closed his eyes and let the music take him away, and made him feel like he was truly part of the forties, and not just an impostor. For the first time in a long time Ianto felt like he belonged. As the two men brought their heads back so that their faces were close enough for their noses to touch Ianto took a deep breath as he moved to reduce the gap further. Their lips were almost touching when a loud pop sounded from one end of the room and the doorway was flooded with a bright white light.

"Ianto come on." Tosh called as she gathered their things and ran towards the light.

Ianto stood still holding Jack in his arms unable to move.

"Ianto please. We need you." Tosh cried out desperately.

"I have to go." Ianto whispered sombrely, his voice ragged.

Jack nodded lightly as Ianto released himself from the other mans hold and stepped towards the light. Stopping in his tracks he moved back towards Jack and pulled him close before capturing his mouth in a deep and passionate kiss. For an all too brief time nothing else existed for Ianto except himself and Jack. He pulled away again reluctantly.

"Goodbye Jack." He said softly before turning and running towards the light, knowing that if he looked back at Jack he would never be able to leave. Moments later he found himself on the pavement outside the dance hall safe and sound in 2007.

"Tosh, Ianto – thank god." Jack said as he embraced Tosh and moved to hug Ianto. The Welshman raised his hand up to stop Jack and shook his head before turning on his heel and walking down the road away from the dance hall.

"Ianto?" Jack called.

"Leave him." Tosh said softly. "Let's go back to the Hub." She suggested gently. Jack nodded and, after a final look to see Ianto disappear around the corner, he climbed into the SUV and drove Tosh back to the Hub.

TW

"I'm sorry about earlier. I just needed some space." Ianto said as he sat opposite Jack in the immortal man's office a few hours later, the desk between them containing amongst other things two mugs of his finest coffee.

Jack nodded. "It's okay. I can't have been easy being there." He said.

"I met you." Ianto said simply with a wry smile.

"Me? I wasn't at the dancehall in 1941. I wasn't even in Cardiff." Jack said confused.

"You weren't. But the real you was. The real Captain Jack Harkness. He was there. In that dance hall. Alive. For one last night." Ianto explained sadly.

Jack's eyes widened. "What?" He gasped.

"If they never found his plane or his body, how can you be certain that he died? That he didn't make it out somehow? That he isn't still out there?" Ianto asked suddenly.

"That was almost seventy years ago Ianto – he'd be well into his nineties by now even if he were still alive. All records show that there was no Jack Harkness alive after 1941. That was why I chose him." Jack replied logically.

"How do you know he didn't change his name? That he would even have been able to remember his own name?" Ianto suggested.

"Ianto that man died in 1941. Let it go." Jack said softly.

Ianto shook his head. "No. I need to know… I need to know for certain."

"Why? Why is this so important to you?" Jack asked confused.

"I just need to know if he was happy… if he made it… was he happy? How did he live his life? Who did he live it with?" Ianto reasoned though it was clear he was hiding something.

"What happened to you in 1941?" Jack asked softly with concern.

Ianto looked down at his hand as it clasped the mug he was holding and tears formed in his eyes, threatening to fall down his cheeks. "I just need to know." He murmured. "Please." He begged looking back up at Jack.

Jack nodded. "We'll use the photo of him from that Gwen found in the newspaper archive and run it through the facial recognition system. If he is still out there, or if he was ever out there after that night, we'll be able to trace him." He said.

Ianto smiled briefly. "Thanks Jack."

"Are you going to be okay?" Jack asked.

"I will be when I know." Ianto replied getting to his feet.

"You're going to do it now?" Jack asked surprised.

Ianto nodded. "I know how to set the search up. It shouldn't take long. I need to do this Jack." He said before taking his mug and walking solemnly out the office and down to Tosh's workstation. Settling onto the stool he tapped a few keys and brought up the image from the local newspaper of the time which showed Captain Jack Harkness and a few of his men smiling at the camera, Tosh and Ianto visible in the background but oblivious of the camera. He captured Jack's face from the image and copied it into the facial recognition software. Clicking 'Enter' he lifted his hands from the keys and waited, sipping occasionally at his drink. Whilst he waited Ianto's mind drifted back to his time in the dance hall, and his time in Jack's arms. His gaze settled on the photo from the archives once again and he resisted the urge to brush his fingers across the screen above the Captain's face, knowing that Jack was sat in his office just a few feet away and would no doubt be watching him. The computer beeped loudly snapping Ianto from his daydream. Turning his attention back to the task in hand he tapped at the keys and opened the file that had been found to be a match.

"Oh Jack…" He whispered as he read the document. A man was found washed up on the beach of Porthcawl a few days after Jack's ill-fated mission. His identity was unknown and he had serious head injuries, which caused amnesia. The name he was given, and the name he kept for the rest of his life, was John Jones. He settled in Swansea and lived out his days there. He never married and never had any children. He died three years ago at the age of 89, though that was a guess more than a fact, from cancer, and was buried in a cemetery in the city. The photo that was attached showed a man at the age of perhaps 70, and was a passport style photo that had been used for his bus pass. Whilst the face was over forty years older than the man that Ianto had met that day, the eyes were an immediate give away. The man he was looking at wasn't called John Jones he was Jack Harkness.

Ianto checked his watch and saw it was a little before four thirty. He printed out the information from the screen and folded the paper pushing it into his pocket as he stood up and turned off the computer. Leaving his partially drunken mug on his desk he grabbed his jacket from the stand checking his car keys were inside before racing out the cog door, ignoring the voice of Jack calling out his name.

TW

The journey from Cardiff to Swansea took Ianto a little over an hour. He was lucky that the traffic on the usually busy M4 was fairly light. Regular glances in his rear view mirror showed that as expected Jack was following at a none too subtle distance in the Torchwood SUV. Ianto knew that this was inevitable, he just hoped that once Jack realised it was a cemetery he was visiting he'd be given some space. As he pulled into the car park of the cemetery he turned off his engine and took a few deep breaths before climbing out and locking the car. Jack swung the SUV in beside him and jumped straight out.

"Ianto…" He began, but the Welshman cut him off.

"Wait here. Please, just let me do this alone. We'll talk I promise, but I need to do this alone." He said.

Jack nodded. "Take your time." He said softly as he leant back on the bonnet of the SUV and watched as Ianto entered the cemetery gates and disappeared in amongst the headstones.

Ianto pulled the sheet of paper from his pocket and studied the map that told him where in the vast cemetery Jack was buried. Following the information he made his way steadily through the rows of headstones and markers till he found a black granite headstone beneath a sprawling oak tree.

"John Jones Died November 14th 2004." Ianto read aloud the few words that adorned the headstone before crouching down and resting a hand on the cool granite as tears formed in his eyes.

"I know you probably don't remember me. I know you probably have no idea what I'm even doing here – truth is I don't really know either." He said with a wry smile. "I met you a long time ago. A long time ago for you anyway. God this is hard to explain." He muttered before giving up on explanations and just saying what he needed to say. "If I'd known that you were going to survive the crash, if I'd known that you hadn't died that day, I would have stayed." He admitted gently. "I would have stayed, I would have looked for you, I would have found you, I would have loved you." His voice choked. "I could see myself falling in love with you Jack. I could feel myself falling in love with you." He wiped the tear that had seeped from his eyes with one hand. "I hope you were happy. I hope you lived your life, and I hope you were happy. I hope you were happy." He repeated before getting to his feet. "Sleep well Jack." He said before kissing the tips of two of his fingers and pressing it firmly against the headstone, before walking slowly away and back to the waiting SUV.

"You look like you need a proper drink." Jack commented gently as Ianto approached.

Ianto nodded as he pushed his hands into his trouser pockets. "One or two." He mused.

"Come on. We passed a pub on the way here. Let me buy you a drink. We'll get your car back later." Jack offered before climbing into the driver's seat of the SUV and watching as Ianto rounded the bonnet slowly before getting in beside him. Starting the engine Jack reversed out of the car park and drove down the road away from the cemetery. Ianto sat silently in the passenger seat, his gaze fixed out the side window as they passed through the city and onto the car park of a pub. They both got out and walked inside, Ianto going over to a table in a quiet corner whilst Jack went to the bar and got the Welshman a whiskey and himself a water. Setting the two drinks down on the table Jack sat himself down on the stool and waited for Ianto to begin.

"His body washed up on a beach near Porthcawl and he was found three days after his men returned home without him. He'd suffered a blow to the head and couldn't remember who he was or how he'd got there. He'd suffered severe burns to his clothes, which must have made it impossible to distinguish him as anything other than a random soldier. Missing military personnel were hardly rare, so nobody bothered to follow it up. They patched him up, gave him a new name, and let him go. He lived in Swansea alone for the rest of his life. He died three years ago." Ianto explained sadly before taking a long drink from his glass.

"What happened to you in 1941?" Jack asked gently.

"I met a man who didn't want to be there. He put on a brave face for his men, but he didn't want to be there. He was scared Jack. He was terrified, and he thought that made him weak." Ianto began softly. "He fought in the war because he thought that was what he was supposed to do. He drank in the bars with his men because he thought that was what he was supposed to do. He danced with the girls because he thought that was what he was supposed to do." His voice turned angry. "Then he danced with me because that is what he wanted to do."

Jack's eyes widened. "You and he…" He breathed.

"He had a girl like all the other soldiers, and she came to see him that night. But he sent her away. He sent her away because he thought he would have another chance to be with her, and for that night he wanted to be with me. I thought it was his last night alive and I told him to go after her, but he refused because he wanted to be with me. We danced in front of his men, and I kissed him in front of his men, and if you hadn't dragged me back here I would have stayed with him." Ianto snarled angrily as he began to cry. "And if I'd known that he was going to survive I would have stayed anyway." He admitted softly.

"You would have stayed? In 1941?" Jack asked.

"Yes." Ianto confirmed as he downed the last of his drink.

"Are you that unhappy here?" Jack asked. "I thought things were getting better for you Ianto. I thought we were…" His voice cut off as his breath caught in his throat.

"I hoped we were Jack, but I think we both know that we aren't." Ianto said rising to his feet. "You won't need to retcon me sir, I plan on getting as far away from this place as I can. Tell the others I'm sorry. I hope you find what you're looking for." He said laying a gentle hand on Jack's shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze before walking out of the pub, and Jack's life for good.


End file.
